Boy Scout Troop 26, sponsored by the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme, will be hosting a very special event this month, as they honor four young men who have achieved Scouting’s Highest Rank, Eagle Scout. TJ Lynch, David Muckle, Kyle O’Neil, and Christian Valli, all have completed the rigorous requirements and will be presented with their awards at an unprecedented quadruple Eagle Scout Court of Honor on Saturday, March 29, in Old Lyme.
The fact that a young man is an Eagle Scout has always carried with it a special significance, not only in Scouting, but also as he enters higher education, business or industry, and community service. Achieving the rank requires perseverance to complete the extensive requirements list over a scouting career, culminating in a significant Service Project that the Scout must design and lead and requires a substantial amount of planning and coordination. Only about five percent of all Boy Scouts earn the rank of Eagle Scout. To have four young men achieve this high honor at the same time is a special event for this community.
Lynch’s service project was to build a wooden wilderness ladder on a trail off 4 Mile River Road, which gives the Old Lyme Land Trust its first access to what could potentially become the largest preserve in the town of Old Lyme. His two teams not only built and installed the wilderness ladder, but also blazed a trail and dug out switchbacks leading down to the ladder. The project required over six months of planning. Lynch is a senior at Xavier High School in Middletown who will be attending Carleton College in the Fall where he plans on studying some combination of Biology, English and Psychology.
Muckle’s project focused on creating public access to the Heller Preserve, another Old Lyme Land Trust property. The project requirements included building a driveway, parking lot and a trail to an ancient Native American amphitheater located on the preserve. Access to the property was off of a blind turn on Town Woods road with very little parking. This required extra attention to safety. Muckle broke the project into three phases: asphalt driveway, parking lot and trail. He created detailed maps and prepared all information for the permit process. He is a senior at Lyme-Old Lyme High School and plans on majoring in History when he begins college in the Fall.
O’Neil’s project was to add another new trail to the Heller Preserve. This new trail extends .36 miles with an elevation change of more than 70 feet. It provides access to the elevated terrain on the property and allows hikers to walk among the exposed ledges and to hike by a previously hidden cave. Today, the Heller Preserve is open to the public and being used on a regular basis thanks to the efforts of David and Kyle. O’Neil is a senior at Lyme-Old Lyme High School, who is planning on majoring in Engineering or Computer Science at college in the Fall.
Valli’s project was to connect two nature preserves with a new trail and erect a stone bench at the Scudder and Carini nature preserves in Chester. To complete his project, his crew had to go into the woods to obtain stone for the bench as well as blaze the trail between the two preserves so they could cover it with wood chips. Valli’s project helped make these preserves more accessible to people wishing to explore their natural beauty. He is a senior at Lyme-Old Lyme High School and plans on majoring in Biomolecular Engineering in College in the Fall.
All four boys will be honored at a Court of Honor to be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 29, in the Lyme-Old Lyme High School auditorium. All are welcome to attend.
Congratulations TJ, David, Christian, Kyle, their parents and families, and all their troop leaders and volunteers!
Mary Powell says
Congratulations to our Eagle Scouts from
Troop 26! Fabulous work!